Colin M - Kovozavody Prostejov 1:72 Mig-19s

[colin m]

Here's my entry for the Cosford (that wasn't) 2020 group build. The manufacturer, Kovozavody Prostejov, is a new one on me. Well, except, it's no way new. Sometime ago it cost £4.25 from Beatties, a now defunct shop. I can't find a date anywhere in the kit. It seems the manufacturer still makes kits, but obviously standards have improved.
Anyway, this is definitely a vintage kit.




The instructions try to tell us about an airbrake, but -



The kit doesn't have one !


Even better is the ejection seat - nice and detailed in the instructions, however,



This is what you get in the kit. Not much difference.


But then there's the IP, again, looks good in the instructions.


But somehow, am I supposed to make this look like the above ?


Wings, seem ok for the age.


But the canopy looks really ropey. Hopefully Klear will 'improve' things here.



And finally, the decals. These actually look ok, but we'll find out later how they behave.


I've just realised, this is 'New to me manufacturer' number 4 in a row. My last builds have been CSM, Fly, HKM and now Kovozavody Prostejov. What next ?

[papa 695]

Try a Pegasus kit Colin

[tr1ckey66]

Ooooo, looks like you've got your work cut out there. As you say, the canopy does look ropey. But, if there's a man that's up to the task it's you.
Good luck with the build Colin.
Paul

[yak face]

KP have been around for yonks Colin , before the Berlin Wall came down they were exporting kits to the west from czechoslovakia ( wow spelt that right first time without the autocorrect jumping in !) They weren’t the finest tooling but had some very interesting ,and rare in the west ,subjects. Like all makers they had good and bad ,this is one of their Cold War era jobbies , I’ll let you decide which category this falls in . Their new stuff is very nice , a bit limited run but good with great subject choice and they’ve also recently reboxed some excellent Zvezda ,OEZ and Art models kits . As always a quick look on scalemates will give some insight into the age and provenance.

[colin m]

Their new stuff is very nice ,

I was surprised (spelt all by myself - no computer help) to find they were still going. Like Airfix, things do seem to have improved. I might be tempted to try a newer kit some time soon.

[colin m]

Try a Pegasus kit Colin

I haven't searched Pegasus, but Tony's response might tell me all I need to know...….

Good luck with the build Colin

Thanks Paul, it's going to be fun.

So, I've done a bit.

On Sunday, I took the dodgy looking canopy and 'Kleared' it. Quite an improvement.


Look at the size of the 'gates' I used to snap the parts off when I was a kid. Not a chance of snapping these things off.


The remaining piece of sprue. I could file that and turn it into some sort of wing tip ordenance !


The odd looking pilot will need a bit of work.


I've had a trial fit of the upper and lower wings. The upper wing is a touch wider than the lower. So, I've cut the locating pins off and will be using the fuselage to help with alignment of the wings.


This kit is an old one, so comes with one of these.


Which I intend to use, so it's gear up for me. OK, it's a bit gappy, but that's what filler was invented for.


But you know how modelers have a sort of sixth sense for trouble ahead, I thought I would just check the fit of the canopy, and found a bit of a gap.


A quick repair should fix that little problem.


Not only am I going to use the supplied base, I'm even painting the interior with enamel paint, using a brush. Just like it used to be. Well, actually, I couldn't be bothered to fire up the compressor for such a basic interior.


This shade is quite close to the colour of a Mig 19 cockpit - honestly it is.

The only extra thing to add to the pit is the IP and pilot. That's it.

And that is indeed it for tonight. Well, that lovely enamel paint will need a while to dry.

[papa 695]

Nice work Colin, this is really testing your modelling skills.

[flyjoe180]

Go Colin, you see that thing off. Polish the turd!

[colin m]

Thanks for dropping by chaps.

testing your modelling skills

Oh yes, as you can see from the below.

Polish the turd

Too many rivets - they'll get in the way.

So, it's been a while since my last update, you can't blame me, as any gardener will understand, the weather has been just far too good to be indoors these last few day. As the ponds and gardens are all looking nice, I made a return to the bench (although the wife still wants to wash the greenhouse - doh)

Air intake, doesn't fit.



Hot noisy end - doesn't fit.


Canopy doesn't fit - can you see a pattern here ?


However, for its age / cost, I wasn't expecting everything to be perfect. The front and rear parts that don't fit, are too big so at least can be sanded down. However, there was a nice touch by the kit manufacturer. The 'spine' that runs along the top of the fuselage, was moulded onto one half of the fuselage only, so the actual seam, is out of view, hence no rivets were harmed in he mating of the two fuselage halves.

Wings fitted, fit was not bad at all. Also, Daveski, the pilot has been painted and installed.
I'll tell you, they don't make boxes like they used to. It took some effort to cut that slot in the kit box. Proper cardboard.



Now for a bit of fun. The stabilizer is located by a very shallow pin and hole arrangement. I thought there would be trouble here, but actually, it fitted quite well.
However, the other side had a pin and pin arrangement. Such fun !


Well, as the temperature has dropped outside, there'll be some greenhouse work today followed by a bit of bench time hopefully.

[yak face]

Top marks for sticking with it Colin, the challenge of getting a half decent result from these old klunkers is what gives so much satisfaction . It’s looking good , keep at it . Which scheme are you going for btw?

[papa 695]

I might be wrong, but it seems as though your having a fit problem with this kit Colin. Strange, it looks like a well engineered one.:tongue-out3:. some very nice work though, keep it up.

[dave]

Looking good, doing a great job in beating it into shape, almost literally it appears.

[colin m]

Which scheme are you going for btw?

I'm not sure yet, I think that might be decided by which decals still work after all these years, but hopefully, something a little obscure.

almost literally it appears

I think it does, when the primer is on. Oh look, primer.

So, a shiny natural metal finish calls for a gloss black undercoat. As you can see, this isn't gloss. I've had an idea. I'm going to pre-shade (something I gave up doing a while ago) in gloss black. So the aircraft will have varying degrees of shine, as opposed to shade. Will it work ? I haven't a clue. What am I hoping for ? again, no idea.

[yak face]

I'm not sure yet, I think that might be decided by which decals still work after all these years, but hopefully, something a little obscure.

I think it does, when the primer is on. Oh look, primer.

So, a shiny natural metal finish calls for a gloss black undercoat. As you can see, this isn't gloss. I've had an idea. I'm going to pre-shade (something I gave up doing a while ago) in gloss black. So the aircraft will have varying degrees of shine, as opposed to shade. Will it work ? I haven't a clue. What am I hoping for ? again, no idea.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1120571[/ATTACH]

The decals look in surprisingly good nick , out of the three the Pakistan livery is the least seen option . Cheers tony

[yak face]

Just been browsing their website Colin , guess what’s about to be released ? That’s right a brand new tool MiG 19 ! Have a look , you can click at the top to translate into English and their range of subjects is very interesting , I’ve got a few in the stash and a few more I’ve got my eye on .